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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ broken left collarbone will need to have improved significantly from last week for him to play Sunday at Dallas.

On his weekly radio show on ESPNMilwaukee on Tuesday, Rodgers said it was clear last week from a discouraging MRI scan and then pain while doing simple quarterback movements in practice Wednesday that his collarbone wasn’t healed enough for him to risk re-injury and play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

“You shouldn’t be having pain doing some of the simple movements,” Rodgers said. “(Last) Thursday I had the pads on but I really didn’t do anything, and then Friday I didn’t do anything, either. So it wasn’t a progression last week, I didn’t get better as the week went on.

“I tried to do a lot of stuff Wednesday, didn’t feel very good. From there I decreased in the stuff I did. so I wasn’t getting close to playing last week. It was in my mind resting more to not try and stress it more than I had on Wednesday, and hopeful that this week I’ll respond better when I stress it on Wednesday.”

Rodgers, who sustained the broken collarbone a little more than five weeks ago, said he has not had an MRI yet this week and wasn’t sure whether a scan is required for him to be cleared to play. He will again practice Wednesday.

“Try to do some of things I did last week (and hoping) without pain,” he said. “See how my body responds to it on Thursday and go from there. Again, there’s a lot of variables in this, with the scan being one of them, and the scan last week didn’t show healing like we wanted it to. That with the pain I experienced at practice obviously kept me out of the game. We need a different result and different responses to get on the field this week.”

Rodgers thought earlier in the healing process that he was past the point of pain, but that was while standing and throwing. The issue isn’t tolerating the pain, but that the pain is a sign that he hasn’t healed enough to warrant playing.

“It’s different when you’re moving around,” he said. “You’re doing quick movements, whether it’s a drill where you have to play fast, you’re simulation game speed, or whether you’re taking snap and giving a handoff with your left arm, which is attached to that injury. Those are some of the things that gave me discomfort. That was kind of the clue that I’m obviously not ready. The scan, the way that scan looked, and the discomfort I had made me know I wasn’t ready.”

Whether a week is enough time for his collarbone to improve enough to allow him to play is a major question.

“It’s a waiting game,” he said. “I was trying to push and come back before science tells you is even possible. I don’t think you’re seeing anybody coming back at four or five weeks from this type of injury to do some of things I’d like to do back on the field. But it’s tough to not be out there with the guys.”